Cards for Men and Children

Hello! I'm back with a couple more commissioned cards for one of my neighbours.

This little handbag card is for another neighbour's grand-daughter.

And here's a card for a chap who likes rugby and collects cigarette cards. I made a pocket to put the duplicate little card in, so that he could keep it.

Thanks for dropping by,

Alison xox

366 Somethings - Week 21

Hi Everyone!

Here are another week of collaged index cards for the 366 Somethings challenge.

I seem to have used a lot of teabags this week :-)

I love the big flower I made on my birthday, number 145. Do you have a favourite?

Thanks for visiting, 

Alison xox

Collage Flower

Hello Everyone!

Well the May birthdays continue, and today it's my birthday. Rather a strange one, but the highlight had to be my best friend coming over with a card and presents, and a lovely catch up in the front garden, at a distance of course. She is an NHS physiotherapist, and is working very hard to keep her patients well.

Yesterday I made another page for Mia's Flower theme at Art Journal Journey

It started with a layer of teabags, then I scraped on some white gesso. I used collage papers to create my flower, then added doodles and asemic writing journaling. I finished with a wash of orange acrylic between the petals, and some pink and white paint splatters. In hindsight I wish I hadn't added the gesso layer.

Hope you're having a good weekend, thanks for visiting,

Alison xx

Some More Cards

My mum had a special birthday on Sunday, she was 80. We weren't able to visit her, but we made her day special with a family zoom chat. My daughter also wrote a special song, had us all record ourselves singing it, adding special messages, then put it all together in a lovely video. Mum was very moved by it.

Here's the card I made for my mum.

My mother-in-law shares the same birthday, and I made a similar card for her, with her favourite colours.

My little cottage industry continues with some more card orders from my neighbours.

A 40th birthday card.

And two more sympathy cards.

Thanks for visiting,

Alison xox

366 Somethings 2020 - Week 20

Hello Everyone! 

Here are my collaged index cards for week 20 of the 366 Somethings Challenge.

Did you spot the mice on number 134? It was a page from a German fairy tale book, that I did some dendritic monoprinting on. I really like the colours, and cut leaf shapes from it for number 136 too. Do you have a favourite this week?

Before I go, I'd like to share a couple of photos that my hubby took of a beautiful visitor to the bird feeder and bath. It's a great spotted woodpecker. He loves the fat balls.

Keep safe and well, and thanks for visiting.

Alison xox

Just Some Flowers

These flowers are for Mia's Flowers theme at Art Journal Journey. I did some mindful doodling.

Thanks for visiting,

Alison xox

T-Day with 366 Somethings - Week 19

Hi Everyone!

I'm back today with another week of collaged index cards for the 366 Somethings challenge.

Let me tell you about number 129. On the 8th May, here in the UK we celebrated the 75th anniversary of VE (Victory in Europe) Day. I made some bunting to hang on one of our front windows. Card 129 was made with leftovers from the bunting.

Our little street held a modified street party, with a picnic lunch outside, being sociable with the neighbours, but keeping our distance of course. By coincidence, I found the 'Egg Salad' text from the book page I've been using for a while, and we did actually have an egg salad for our lunch. Perfect!

It was a lovely day in every sense. Here's a photo that one of our neighbours took. And the beer had to be Spitfire of course! I should have got my act together yesterday, and shared this with Elizabeth's T-Day! Maybe I still can :))

Going back to my index cards, reading the found book texts in order is quite amusing as usual. 

Do you have a favourite card? I think mine is 132, with that teeny piece of teabag with white dots. It happens to be the one I made on our 29th wedding anniversary. It was a week of anniversaries!

Be safe and happy,

Alison xox

Sympathy Card

Hello everyone. Lovely to see you here today.

My neighbour asked me if I still made cards as she needed a sympathy card. A sad occasion, but nice to have a little project.

Here's what I came up with. I used PaperArtsy Hotpicks stamps, and I think the sentiment stamp may have come from Hobbycraft. I used Distress inks for the background, and to watercolour the flowers.

It's a lovely sunny and warm day here today, I have washing out on the whirlygig, and I cleaned out the guinea pig cage. I hope you've enjoyed some sunshine too.

Thanks for visiting,

Alison xox

Daisy Daisy...

Hi Everyone! I hope you're all keeping fit and well. 

Since I'm confined to the house, I've been doing circuits of my garden to keep my fitness up. I usually plug in my head-phones and listen to an album or a podcast. My son Gordon and his friend Joe have started weekly podcasts, called Liminal Podcast, and you can find them here if you're interested. I find them quite amusing, and it's a comfort to hear my lovely son's voice of course.

Today I have another art journal page for Mia's Flowers theme at Art Journal Journey.

The base is a gel print, and the flowers and circles were cut from a doodled, painty under-paper and a scrap of black card. I had a lot of fun doing those doodles.

I hand-wrote a few words of an old song that my Nan used to sing to us, and finished with some white ink splatters.

Thanks for dropping by my blog,

Alison xox

366 Somethings - Week 18

Hello Everyone. Here are my collaged index cards for week 18 of the 366 Somethings challenge.

I'm keeping typing to a minimum as my wrist still isn't right. This week, I love the colours on 124, and the neutrals of 125. Always interesting to read the book text altogether for the week :D

Keep safe and carry on arting,

Alison xox

AJJ - Flowers

Over at Art Journal Journey, Mia's theme for May is Flowers. 

I used one of my gel-printed tags on a dictionary page, adding doodles and journaling.

Thanks for visiting, keep safe and well,

Alison xox

30 Days of Mixed Media with Ana - Days 24-30

Hi Everyone. I'm back today with my final week of entries for Ana Bondu's challenge on Instagram.

I missed out day 23, which was Transfers, as my effort didn't work at all, and I didn't think it was worth the stress to attempt again.

Day 24 - Metal. I covered a piece of card with sticky back foil, then embossed it and used Stazon inks to colour it.

Day 25 - Misti (Stamping Platform). This was quite complicated. I started with a piece of card coloured with Distress inks, then placed it in position on my stamping platform. I had to do the flowers individually, stamping, bleaching out colour with bleach, colouring with Posca paint pens, then re-stamping. Then I stamped the smaller flower in the centre of the large one, painted with white pen, re-coloured with red and orange, then re-stamped the small flower. After doing all the flowers, I flicked some water onto the card to create the bleached splatters. Told you it was complicated, but well worth the effort I think. I'm so pleased I eventually bought the stamping platform, as I've used it quite a lot to get well-stamped images.

Day 26 - Alcohol Ink. Sticky back foil on card again, embossed, then drips of alcohol ink added. Yummy!

Day 27 - Foliage. I love using leaves on my Gelli Plate!

Don't waste the paint on the leaves...

I also used black ink to draw some foliage on a gel-printed tag.

Day 28 - Pigment Ink. Distress oxide inks, Carabelle Studio stamps. I clear embossed the leafy sprig, in order to use the green oxide ink to watercolour.

Day 29 - Fabric. I used ribbons.

Day 30 - Mica. I sponged white tacky glue through a stencil on the black card, then brushed with perfect pearls mica powder. The stamped butterfly and quote were coloured by mixing mica powder into some water to create a watery paint.

That's it for now. I hope to find another challenge once my wrist is fully healed. I'll still be doing my little daily collages though.

Have a happy weekend,

Alison xox